Wesleyan's First Century: With an Account of the Centennial Celebration

Wesleyan's First Century: With an Account of the Centennial Celebration

Excerpt

This story of the first century of Wesleyan University is the outgrowth of a series of articles on the presidents of the college, which appeared from time to time in The Wesleyan University Alumnus. At the request of President McConaughy and the Centennial Committee of the trustees, the articles have been considerably modified and expanded for the present volume, so as to give a broader and more continuous view of the life of the college and its gradual development from somewhat primitive beginnings. It is still possible, however, for the reader to discern that the subject has been originally approached from the standpoint of the personality and achievement of the ten men who have been the leaders of Wesleyan during the first century. Each of them was a man of strength, but each differed from the others in characteristics and methods.

It has been a delightful privilege for the author in preparing this material to meet and interview personally the descendants of each of the presidents (save Fisk, who had no offspring). From the grandchildren of Presidents Bangs and Cummings, and the children of Presidents Olin, Smith, Foss, Beach, Raymond and Shanklin information has been secured which has been of value.

The newly developed Wesleyan Room in the Olin Library, which houses the accumulated archives of the college, has proved to be a veritable cave of hidden riches, and our thanks are due to the librarian, Willard F. Lewis, whose "Open Sesame" has revealed its treasures of memorabilia. The author gratefully acknowledges his indebtedness to President McConaughy, Dean Nicolson and Dr. Frank Mason North for valuable suggestions and corrections in the manuscript and to Dean Nicolson also for reading the proof; to Professors Karl P. Harrington and George M. Dutcher for careful analyses of the curriculum, by . . .

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